A WEST Midlands police officer and its former head of recruitment are among six men accused of conspiring to defraud the force.

A WEST Midlands police officer and its former head of recruitment are among six men accused of conspiring to defraud the force.

It is alleged PC Manjit Marva, former head of West Midlands Police recruitment David Vidgen, and another former police employee Adam Warwick were involved in the submission and processing of false invoices.

They have been charged with conspiring to defraud West Midlands Police out of more than £200,000 between July 2005 and September the following year.

Marva, 37, of Pipers Green, Hall Green, Birmingham; Vidgen, 34, of Over Brunton Close, Northfield, Birmingham; and Warwick, 33, of Wishing Stone Way, Matlock, Derbyshire, also face a charge of misconduct in a public office. Appearing with them in the dock at Warwick Crown Court for a preliminary hearing yesterday were three other men.

All six were charged following an investigation which lasted 12 months into the alleged submission of false invoices to West Midlands Police headquarters at Lloyd House in Birmingham, and the processing of those invoices for payments said to have totalled more than £200,000.

Prosecutor Mark Haywood said the prosecution and the defence had “tried to come up with a timetable” so that a directions hearing could be listed in November “when much better stock can be taken of the case than today.”

There were likely to be 12 lever-arch files of evidence to be assessed in the case.

Judge Christopher Hodson asked whether the case should be heard at Coventry Crown Court – where the docks are larger and the barristers’ have more space available for documents. Mr Haywood agreed, observing: “We do not think there is any realistic prospect of it being heard here.”

Judge Hodson adjourned the case for a directions hearing at Coventry Crown Court on November 13. All six men were granted unconditional bail.